Page 154 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

Design Rules and Guidelines 133

over all of the functions associated with the procurement, storage,
handling, and disposal or recycling of chemicals used in manufac-
turing operations such as semiconductor fabrication. This “turnkey”
approach enables manufacturers to focus on their core business,
while the service providers offer expertise in chemical handling and
compliance with environmental, health, and safety requirements.
Moreover, the service provider can seek greater efficiencies by pool-
ing resources and taking a systems approach to service design.
The servicization concept has been embraced by UNEP, which
defines a “product-service system” as the result of an innovation strat-
egy, shifting the business focus from designing and selling physical prod-
ucts only, to selling a system of products and services which are jointly
capable of fulfilling specific client demands [4]. Examples of such sys-
tems include
• Mobile services that provide on-demand delivery of products
to a home or business
• Energy services that utilize innovative technologies to deliver
heat and power
• Agricultural services that provide locally grown organic pro-
duce to consumers
• “Virtual office” services that provide on-demand resources
for small businesses
These types of innovations have the potential to dramatically
re duce the supply chain capital and resources needed to deliver
value to the customer.